Getting a realm up and going is hard work, there's no way to dance around that, but with some good resources you can make it as painless as possible. Here are few steps to take when starting up:

1) Make contact with nearby groups. Let them know you're there, and what you're trying to do. Most realms within a reasonable distance will be stoked to help out a fledgling realm, and having those contacts will open you up to the rest of the world, and make it easier to get speaking and voting rights later on.

2) Read the Book of War. Know the sport so that when your interested new guys ask, you can give them quick, decisive answers. If you're feeling especially ambitious, you can also read the Belegarth By-laws, though it isn't 100% necessary at this point.

3) Visit the Resource Store. It's a great hub for getting free to use flyers and other promotional materials, which you'll find are going to be key to successful recruitment in the future, which means growth and longevity.

4) Download the New Realm Starter Kit. This kit contains blank documents and basic tutorials from your first waiver to your first newspaper article. Though not a complete how-to guide to realm building, and far from definitive, it will get you going, and give you a good idea of things to come.

5) Figure out exactly what you're doing, who you're doing it with, and where you want to go.

6) Pop over to the Geddon, and check out the available resources there. You'll be able to find everything there from basic weapon building how-to's, to instructions for many of the popular fighting scenarios used within the foam fighting community.

While you're there, be sure to create a page for your new group. Though not as heavily traversed as some of the other resources out there (e.g., Facebook), the Geddon is still a valuable recruitment tool.

7) Once you've done all that, go post your information in the Realm Founding Info thread. This is your official "hello world". From there, you are an officially recognized Fledgling realm. Though there isn't really any flare or fanfare to accompany that, it means that you'll be more visible, which will hopefully boost your numbers, and it'll help you get the greater support of the local and national community.

Finally, thanks for choosing to be a realm leader, or least taking part in the process. It's often a thankless and difficult job, but it's what makes our sport grow, and it is definitely appreciated.

_________________- Derian -

"An octopus has eight arms, three hearts, five *, two Super Bowl rings, a beak, and the power to solve crimes."